God the Betrayer?
Karen Grant, Guest Writer
TODAY’S TREASURE
Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara, for the Almighty, has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me? (Ruth 1:20-21).
So begins the second act in the story of Ruth. The widowed Ruth accompanied her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Bethlehem, from whence Naomi’s intact family immigrated to Moab as refugees from famine. Naomi’s sons married there, and her husband died, then both of her sons. After her compounded losses, the devastated woman directed her son’s wives to return to their families, crying, “… it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” She had no hope of providing new sons for her daughters-in-law and encouraged them to return not only to their families but also their gods (1:15). Naomi was so devastated that she ignored the peril of sending her sons’ wives back to false worship in exchange for the physical provision she felt that their families could provide.
Naomi fell into a mindset we may have experienced when things have gone terribly wrong – counter to our hopes, dreams, and expectations. In her sorrowful state, God seems to be a betrayer – as capricious as an idol. Ruth, sensing that her mother-in-law is not thinking clearly, took up the mantle of a faithful encourager and gently responded that she would never leave Naomi, whose God had become her God.
In her misery, Naomi reduced her understanding of God’s gracious provision to bargaining. “You God,” she thought, “are obliged to meet my needs and expectations when I obey. If bad things happen, there are only two possible reasons: I’m being punished, or you’re no different from an impersonal idol.” Her bitter experience twisted her understanding of God’s steadfast, particular love for His people, even when they repeatedly betrayed Him in unbelief – from the Garden to the wilderness to tolerating idol worship in their midst.
We know from the rest of Naomi’s story that her life would again become filled with joy. The women of her old neighborhood in Bethlehem would join her in welcoming a grandson named Obed. They would say of Boaz, her son-in-law, and her grandson’s father, “The Lord has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel!”
If we look at the wider story, Naomi’s “betrayal” served a greater purpose in God’s great plan. Obed’s grandson King David would come to reign over Israel, foreshadowing King Jesus, the Redeemer, who would come from their family line.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
God is not betraying us when our circumstances change, even in terrible losses, when we feel as if the ground beneath us sways, and when we are utterly hopeless. If you feel God has betrayed you, look to His word and not your momentary experience for guidance. Trust that He is who He says He is and look for the comfort, friendship, and redemption He promises.
Study God’s character. Keep a running list of His traits as you find them in the Bible, adding to it as you search for descriptions of who He is really like. How does He treat the downcast? Does He betray His children?
If God is not the betrayer in Naomi’s story, then who is? Where in Scripture can you find the character traits of this betrayer?
Trust that your story is not done. He will tend to your embittered heart and weave beauty into your own story of redemption.
PRAYER
Oh, Father, Your tender mercy toward Naomi’s bitter heart reminds us that Your love and forgiveness cover Your children, even when we don’t feel Your presence. When we feel betrayed by You, open our hearts and minds to Your truth and promises. May we turn to Your Word as the only source of truth, designed to turn our hearts toward Jesus.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Karen Grant loves being a pastor’s wife at Parish Presbyterian Church. She and her husband have three grown children and six amazing grandsons. A graduate of Covenant Seminary, she also served on the PCA’s multicultural church planting and mercy committee. She and her husband co-founded Franklin Classical School in Franklin, Tennessee, where she continues to serve on the board of trustees. She enjoys studying & teaching the Bible, reading, traveling, cooking, working out with her exercise buddies, and all God’s creation. Karen shares with MARKINC in this Help & Hope Story: Ministry Wives, Betrayal and Restoration.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Tuesday, 09 August 2022.
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